Chapitre 152: Speedrun 5
(Tales of Demons and Gods – Olivia's POV)
"I'm not sure why Andy hates these worlds so much," I muttered aloud, lost in thought as I trekked across the desolate landscape. "I haven't encountered many problems."
It had been a day since I departed from that small city – Glory if my memory served right – and I barely spent a few hours there. Joining some sect to gain access to resources and information wasn't my cup of tea, also, the way those old geezers eyed me up, like I was some exotic goods, made me quickly dismiss the notion. Instead, I opted to explore the region, gaining experience alongside Sky, with Serena as our guide.
The story did state that there were hidden treasures and ancient techniques within this world, and that fueled my determination to explore old ruins and uncover as much as I could.
"My Lady, are you disregarding the fact that I had to activate the first line of defense 78 times already?" Serena chimed in, snapping me out of my reverie. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Serena, I've already told you, that someone staring at me is not a valid reason to turn them into rubber ducks," I replied with a sigh of exasperation.
"My programming suggests otherwise," she stated confidently. "Moreover, it's a crucial variable within my personality assessment matrix."
"Then your programming needs revision," I retorted, annoyance edging into my tone. I exchanged a glance with Sky, who silently nodded in agreement.
"Take that back!" Serena exclaimed, her tone wounded. "Master doesn't make mistakes! And I am one of Master's most exquisite creations!"
I rolled my eyes, not entirely disagreeing with her – her abilities were undeniably valuable and unique, and one of those idiots really deserved it. However, her overprotectiveness sometimes got on my nerves, and I could only curse Andy for that.
A thunderous roar interrupted our conversation, diverting my attention to a rapidly approaching cloud of dust. I turned to Sky and asked, "This one seems weaker than the last one. Want to try handling it?"
She met my gaze, her expression thoughtful before nodding slowly. Taking a deep breath, her 10-inch form sank into her own shadow, disappearing from all of my senses.
"So, Serena?" I inquired, watching as Sky shot out of the shadow of a 5-meter-tall lion-like beast with a snake-like tail, her own form covered in darkness.
"My Lady?" Serena responded, her voice tinged with confusion and a bit of annoyance as another loud roar echoed in the background.
"Do you happen to know the power levels of cultivation in this world?" I questioned, realizing my lack of understanding about the mechanics here.
"My knowledge doesn't extend to that information. However, I could ask Mai to provide it if needed."
I nimbly leaped over a kilometer-long whip formed of tangible shadow as I continued, "No need to trouble her with that," I said with a hint of annoyance, regretting my lack of research on this world.
Another growl, more of a whimper, echoed once more before the ground quaked as the lion-like creature collapsed. Sky reappeared next to me, her expression smug, though she was now covered in blood from head to paws.
"You're lucky Andy taught me the cleaning spell," I commented with a chuckle while casting the spell on her. I patted her, proud of her swift leveling and skill development. "Good job." Before turning my focus back to Serena.
"Alright, Serena, do that scanning thing you mentioned before, and let's see what this place has to offer," I declared, determination etching my voice. While, internally, I hoped that this feature wasn't as over-the-top as she made it sound.
"As you wish, My Lady." Her response echoed through the air, and in an instant, I realized how mistaken I was to think this would be unobtrusive.
The world around me and Sky itself quivered under the weight of emerging barriers, layer upon layer materializing with a brilliance that painted the air in a kaleidoscope of colors. Sky's gaze met mine, her expression a mirror to my own, a reflection of fear and awe.
"Spatial, Temporal, Dimensional, Psychical, and Spiritual barriers engaged." She declared, and after a brief pause added, "Quantum-Temporal probe initiated," her words reverberated with an authority that seemed to emanate from the very heavens, sending a shiver cascading down my spine. Within the pendant, mana surged like a tempest, its gathering intensity unfurling an unsettling mixture of both anticipation and dread.
My hair and skirt became ensnared in the symphony of energy, forming a tempestuous dance as pebbles and stones surrendered to the maelstrom, ascending into the heavens. The sky crackled and roared with torrents of lightning, transforming the once-clear weather into a writhing tapestry of chaos, its electric tendrils reaching out to rend the earth below, leaving nothing but echoes in their wake. The air was saturated with an oppressive torrent of mana as if the very elements were bowing to a force far beyond their comprehension.
"Serena! Is this truly necessary?!" My voice pierced through the cacophony, in an attempt to challenge the maelstrom swirling around us, yet the response was but a resolute "Affirmative."
The moment hung suspended, a tense pause before the climax, and then, with an earth-shattering crescendo, the accumulated mana, a colossal reservoir rivaling the fathomless depths of cosmic power, unfurled in a cataclysmic wave of destruction, an explosion of energy that devoured the landscape and any semblance of normalcy in its path.
"Why did you destroy everything around us? Isn't this just a mapping spell?!" I exclaimed, gazing at the spot where a mountain range had stood mere seconds ago.
"Affirmative. The spell maps the entire dimensions, past, present, and future," Serena's words reverberated through the now-silent surroundings, sending a shiver down my spine. "Sadly, I am unable to use it to its full capacity." She added with a solemn tone.
"Andy, what in the world have you created?" I murmured, gripping the pendant with a trembling hand.
(Stargate – Andy's POV)
"Wait a minute," Samantha interrupted me with a raised hand, attempting to wrap her head around what I had just revealed, "I can grasp the concept of infinite versions of me, especially with our experiences dealing with parallel universes. But it's hard to fathom that in one of those universes, the entirety of our reality is just a TV show..."
I looked at her, genuinely puzzled by her confusion, as I continued munching on a cookie from one of the boxes Olivia had prepared for emergencies.
"These cookies are really good," Daniel chimed in with his mouth full.
"I'll be sure to pass on the compliment to my wifey," I responded with a smile, appreciating the diversion from the topic at hand.
"Daniel!" Samantha exclaimed, her frustration palpable, "How can you be so nonchalant? Your entire perception of reality should have been shattered!"
"Why should it?" Daniel countered, blinking at her with genuine confusion. "We've already traveled through time, crossed dimensions, and even confronted beings who claim to be gods – no offense, Andy," he added, offering me an apologetic glance.
"None taken," I replied with a nod. "Although, I must remind you that I am an actual god, with a capital G."
"Right..." Daniel said, nodding slowly before turning back to Samantha. "Like I was saying, the idea of a multiverse has been around for a while. A slight alteration in someone's path could lead to an infinite number of diverging timelines. This revelation doesn't change who we are or where we are, so there's no point in being overly concerned."
"He's got a point," I added, shooting Samantha a meaningful look. However, she seemed too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice. "I think we might have short-circuited her brain," I commented with a deadpan voice.
"Don't worry, she'll bounce back," Daniel dismissed with a casual wave of his hand. Then he leaned forward with a curious expression. "I do have a question, though. What exactly happens to us in this 'series' of yours?"
His question seemed to snap Samantha out of her daze, and she suddenly looked eager and attentive. "Yes, great question!" she exclaimed, grabbing her Dictaphone and turning it back on. "Tell us all about what happens in this series!" she demanded.
"You do realize I don't respond well to being ordered around," I pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her. "Your base already has a firsthand experience of what happens when they do try," I said with a smirk.
"Um, my apologies?" Samantha said with an unapologetic tone, then quickly corrected herself. "What I mean is, would you be willing to share what you know about our future in your version of events?" She tilted her head, offering a smile that she likely hoped was charming.
"No need for cute smiles. I'm not a pushover," I remarked, rolling my eyes and leaning back. I exchanged a glance with Daniel and adopted a contemplative expression. "Well, there's quite a bit, actually. You all fight against the Goa'uld and manage to defeat most, if not all of their System Lords. The Asgardians decide to collectively end their lives, leaving behind their advanced technology for you to use. You face a number of challenges with the Replicators but ultimately win. Oh right, you also find Atlantis and Destiny." I delivered the information in a matter-of-fact tone as if it was just casual conversation.
Daniel's eyes widened in shock, and he exclaimed, "What?!"
"Could you go into more details?" Samantha asked with a hopeful tone.
"Eh, it's probably easier if I just show you," I said, ignoring their confused expressions, and summoning my personal replicator from my inventory, which made both of them jolt back in surprise. "Lucky for you, I have the entire series on DVD." I grinned and began inputting the required parameters into the replicator.
"What's a DVD?" Daniel asked, only to receive a light smack on the shoulder from Samantha, who appeared more focused on the replicator than his question.
"The more pressing question is: What in the world is that?" Samantha exclaimed, pointing at the replicator, which was currently sitting on the table in the form of a tablet with a holographic screen and keyboard.
"It's nothing too fancy," I replied with a casual shrug. "Just a molecular reassembler." Their eyes widened even further at my explanation. The replication process began, transforming the water molecules in its reservoir into the complete collection of the Stargate series, along with all its offshoots. Anticipating their need, I also replicated a DVD player for them, offering it free of charge.
"There you go," I said with a grin, pushing the items before them. "Connect that to a TV, similarly how you do it with a VHS player, and you'll be able to watch the whole series without any trouble." Their hands reached out hesitantly for the replicated items.
"Anyway, as enjoyable as this chat has been, I have things to do and places to be," I continued, clapping my hands to recapture their attention. "Your colleagues will be waking up in a few minutes, and I'd rather not be around when that happens. By the way, just a heads up, I managed to hack into the Pentagon servers. They've considered nuking this place twice now." I said with a smile, observing their expressions shift from surprise to disbelief.
"As a token of gratitude for saving your lives... twice," I added, my smile shifting into a grin, "I took the liberty to help myself to a few items from your storage." Before they could voice any objections or further questions, I gathered my belongings, waved to them, and said, "See you later." With those parting words, I teleported myself back to the world from which I'd come.
"Now, let the fun commence," I exclaimed with a mischievous grin as my feet made contact with the soil of this alien planet.
Being in a world devoid of mana and individuals sensitive to it was an advantage. I activated all of my mental abilities, working in harmony with [Mana's Blessing], expanding my perception of reality immensely. Closing my eyes, I directed my focus toward casting one of my all-time favorite spells, imbuing it with a hint of my divine power. [Optimize] sprang into action, and an advanced version of [Celestial Eyes] erupting outward, saturating the planet with my mana and painting it with my essence.
Instantaneously, my mind was flooded with an immense amount of information. The complete makeup of the planet's sediment layers, its atmospheric composition, biosphere – from the smallest organisms to the largest creatures – and the fledgling start of a civilization, all was assimilated into my consciousness.
"The planet is nearly perfect," I mumbled to myself, my voice carried by the breeze, "though a few adjustments are in order." My attention shifted southward to another continent where the seeds of civilization were beginning to sprout.
And I raised my hand toward the sky.
Dark energies, swirling like a vortex of anti-life, coalesced above my palm, reaching toward the heavens. The environment around me quivered, withering instantaneously and dissipating into motes of dust.
"Compression," I muttered, the fabric of space trembling as it responded to my command. The energy sphere collapsed in on itself, its existence compressed to an infinitesimal point.
"Distance nullification," I added, and the sphere vanished from its original location only to reappear 9,000 kilometers away.
With a sly grin, I activated [Sage's Wisdom] before chanting, "Vita Est Mori." Each word that left my lips resonated with power, and the world quivered in response.
Darkness swept across the land as the spell took hold, a maelstrom of obliteration engulfing everything in its path. The notifications of death, numbering in the billions, drowned my senses. Plants, animals, and sentient beings alike succumbed, as my spell corroded life at its very essence, erasing it from an entire continent in the blink of an eye. Yet, despite the immense scale of destruction, the vast difference in tiers ensured that not a single trace of experience flowed into me.
"Worthless," I muttered in disdain. I paid little heed to the destruction of the lizard-like sentient creatures or the now barren continent the size of Australia. The place had been infested with parasitic lifeforms that clung to any source of life, and those were entities I had no desire to host in my domain. There were a few other lifeforms that required selective culling, but I'd delegate that task to Mai. It was simply too much effort for me to bother with.
Shifting my focus from the environmental modifications, I retrieved the replicator and set it up, placing the two items I had obtained from Earth onto its surface. Initiating the scanning process, I watched the device hum with activity, while simultaneously lifting my gaze to one of the twin suns in the sky. With a mental reach, I contacted Mai through our shared link.
"Mai, I've found a habitable planet. It requires some observation and alterations, but it shows promise. Begin preparations for dimensional transposition," I commanded her through our mental link.
"As you command, Master," her prompt response resonated in my thoughts.
"Lock onto my current coordinates and await my signal," I continued, feeling her presence as she accessed the link to determine my dimensional and temporal location.
"Excellent work," I commended her with a satisfied smile, redirecting my attention to the replicator, which indicated the completion of its scanning process.
The first item I scanned was the Zat'nik'tel, also known as the Zat gun. It was a compact handheld energy weapon with three different firing modes, each with varying effects depending on the number of shots. The first shot would incapacitate a victim and induce extreme pain. The second shot would kill them, and the third shot would disintegrate both the victim and their clothing. It was a fascinating weapon, and I was eager to analyze its electromagnetic spectrum to potentially replicate and integrate its abilities into my [Electromagnetic Spectrum Manipulation] skill.
The second item I acquired was the Quantum Mirror. This device served as a gateway to an alternate reality, and I was particularly interested in understanding its functionality. With some modifications, it might offer us a means to reduce the energy cost of dimensional travel or even provide a way to observe other dimensions.
"Master, I have pinpointed your coordinates," the long-awaited response resounded within my consciousness, rousing me from my thoughts.
"Wonderful. Initiate preparations for the dimensional gate. I intend to compress this bad boy to the size of a basketball, but allow for some leeway," I conveyed through our link, only receiving an affirmative gesture that could almost be described as a mental thumbs up, which induced a chuckle from me.
Leaving the Stargate intact was a must, as it was to serve as a key component for my future explorations, I encased the entire apparatus within a sphere of mana, lifting and effortlessly ripping it from its resting place and guiding it into the sky as I exited the planet's atmosphere.
My arms extended outward, one palm facing the radiant behemoth of a star, the other poised towards the planet itself. Splitting my consciousness into countless mental instances, in a symphony of mastery over light and matter, I harnessed the powers of [Elemental Mastery] and [Electromagnetic Spectrum Manipulation].
I bellowed forth with [Absolute Command] activated, my very being infused with authority as I roared, "Come!"
And reality obeyed.
A visible ripple coursed through the star's corona as my health and stamina halved. In the following instant, the blazing superheated plasma weighing over 5 septillion tons was ripped off its host star and surged toward me at an astonishing velocity.
Just before the impact, I activated [Overhaul], splitting the atomic nuclei within the superheated cloud and subsequently releasing all of the bound energy. However, there was no cataclysmic explosion; in an instant, all matter vanished into nothingness as [Energy Absorption] activated.
My body strained under the immense influx of energy, and I clenched my teeth, splitting my consciousness once again to focus on maintaining [Regenerative Healing Factor] to ensure my bodily integrity.
My divinity surged with power as I skillfully transformed the absorbed energy into mana, compelling it to obey my will. Intricate runes and geometric patterns materialized, forming an elaborate magical circle around the planet. Space itself seemed to quiver and contract, the circle's surface shrinking as if in response.
The planet's fundamental size and shape remained unchanged, but its surrounding space underwent a transformation. It now required less external space while occupying the same space within. The world seemed to visibly shrink, while the weight reduction runes blazed alive. I felt a strain start to settle on my being as the absorbed energy began to dwindle.
"Portal, now!" I commanded Mai through our mental link, and space tore open, revealing a one-hundred-meter-wide chasm of darkness—a portal. Pushing myself to the limit, I harnessed [Kinetic Energy Manipulation], propelling the now celestial pebble through the gate at speeds approaching that of light.
"I'll be arriving swiftly," I messaged through the link, my breath ragged. "My energy was nearly depleted in the shrinking process, so I had to expedite. Prepare to intercept the object in mere moments."
"Planet secured and transitioned to a habitable orbit around star A," came the swift confirmation after a tense pause, eliciting a satisfied grin from me.
"Good work, Mai," I said amid chuckles. "One down, eleven more to go..." I paused, my thoughts taking a different turn. "Also, remind me to name those solar systems."
(A/N: I posted an AUX chapter with images if anyone is interested.)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone